The Interview
by Cybra
Summary: A writer's conference is in town, and Arnold's doing an interview for the Weekly Wart. *Fic number 101!*


The Interview

By Cybra

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A/N: Before I get rants and flames, I admit that, yes, this _is_ a SI (Self-Insertion) fic. Hopefully, it will be a _tasteful_ SI fic. This is so you guys get to know me better because this is my 101st fic on Fanfiction.Net! (I've written a few more, though they're not on FFN.) :::gets tear in her eye::: I'm so happy! Also, I'm a little older in this fic than I really am. I am _not_ twenty or so.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold!, but I do own one character in there…**_me!_** And Vyse belongs to herself!

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'I love Hillwood,' a young blonde with a weird-shaped head thought as he slithered expertly through the crowd. _'Where else can you see so many famous people gathered outside of Hollywood and New York?'_

The gathering at the Hillwood Highland Inn was crowded with people – reporters and writers alike. The writers' conference had been going full-swing for a few days now as famous novelists and short story writers came together to discuss their work or simply catch up with each other as reporters made sweeps of the area, trying to collect information.

Nobody had truly noticed the youngest member of the group easily slipping around, seeking out the writer he sought after. No one paid attention to his kind yet intense green eyes that studied the crowd objectively, scanning the faces until he found the face he was searching for.

She had slipped off from the crowd and stood on the balcony overlooking the East Side. The wind caught long ash blonde hair, pulling several strands free from the ponytail held in place with a single hair tie. She wore navy blue pants with a matching jacket that covered a plain white T-shirt along with a pair of black loafers. All in all, she was nothing to look at.

Praising whatever gods were out there for his good luck, the boy crossed the room, avoiding getting caught in the crowd with an ease that would've made any of the larger adults jealous.

After a few moments, he approached her from behind, opening his mouth to speak.

"Well, I managed to avoid all but _one_ reporter, didn't I?" the woman barely over twenty asked herself, turning to face her visitor.

The younger blonde paused before asking, "How did you know I wanted to interview you?"

"Had to do a fair share of journalist-esque reports back in the Dark Ages, so I got the feel of them," she quipped. "Besides, running into them so often, you learn to expect it."

"Oh." He paused as she gave him a small smile before returning it. "My name's Arnold."

"Arnold…Don't hear that name too much." She leaned against the edge of the balcony, looking like she was being extremely careful despite her attempts to seem casual. "I'm guessing you already know who _I_ am."

Arnold nodded. "You're the short story writer known mainly as 'Cybra'. You're also known as 'Worthy'. You prefer using pennames rather than giving out your _real_ name."

"Somebody did his homework. I'm impressed."

He studied her face. Her expression was hard to read due to the fact that the look on her face and in her blue – almost gray – eyes could be interpreted any number of ways. Judging from her tone of voice, she hadn't meant that last bit to insult him but to compliment him.

"I'm doing a special column for PS118's school paper 'The Weekly Wart'. If you don't mind, ma'am, I'd like to interview you."

Grinning, she said, "Let the questioning begin!"

Pulling a notepad out of the side pack he carried along with a pen, Arnold asked, "How and when did you first start writing?"

"I started writing in…I guess it was sixth grade. Maybe a little earlier. Anyway, it was on a message board. I'd read all these wonderful fanfics and, since I had ideas for my own stories, thought I'd give it a shot." She held a hand to her head as she moaned at the memory. "I still remember those first stories. Looking back, I wonder how I could've been proud of them!"

Quickly scribbling down notes, he continued to fix all his attention on the author before him. "So you started in sixth grade and have been writing ever since?"

"Oh, heck no! A year on the old message board brought too many changes. The older members were pushed out by newbies who just moved in and took over the place instead of getting the feel for how things were done and just meshing themselves into our little cyber community. I was so disappointed. I just left the message board as well. I didn't know what else to do with my stories, so I stopped writing."

"When did you get back into writing?"

"Back in tenth grade, actually. Think it was just after I had fainted for the first time and had given myself a nice concussion and a few days off from school. I wrote a fanfic for an anime and posted it on a friend's site. The poll my friend put on the site showed how much the readers loved it, so I wrote another one. That one was popular, too, and I realized I really _loved_ writing my stories down and letting others read the ones I wanted to show. Besides – and I don't like admitting this – hearing so many good reviews gave me a nice ego trip."

"Okay…" Jotting down a quick note, Arnold asked, "Did you ever have any problems writing any of your short stories?"

"Oh, yeah! Once I really started getting into my writing element I met up with that wonderful brick wall known as 'Writer's Block'. It was a _nightmare!_ I'd sit at my computer and come up with absolutely _nothing!"_

Intrigued, Arnold asked, "How'd you get over it?"

"Did the only thing I could think of: I switched what I was writing about. It helped get my imagination working again. I guess I forced myself to work inside one box of rules for so long, I got trapped." Cybra gave her interviewer a serious look. "Word to the wise: Keep switching around so you don't burn out. I learned that the hard way."

"How did you become part of the Franchised Fiction Network*?"

"An author friend of mine told me about it. I joined up and just let go to let people read what I came up with. Despite many of the problems it has, FFN's a fairly good publisher."

"I noticed that you write mainly about things to do with animation. Why is that?"

Cybra thought for a moment before answering, "I've always loved animation. Don't get me wrong, I love Star Trek: The Original Series just as much, but animation has always been a big part of my life. Today, cartoon characters don't _seem_ to have that much depth to them when you look at them at face value, but, as I've told one of my friends many times, I think it's because the makers of those cartoons have to tone it down for kids to understand everything. However, I notice that when you look more deeply into the characters, they're very complex, like they're real people. I've seen Yo Ernest! a lot, and the main character comes across as fairly simple to understand, but I get the feeling there's more that the show only hints at. But I could be overanalyzing Ernest and other characters."

"So I'm guessing that's why you write your stories with more serious themes."

"Right. I'm trying to blend faces that are familiar with problems that may or may not be familiar so that those readers who are ashamed to read something because whom it's about is too 'kiddy' can feel comfortable reading it around, say, their big macho best friend. Besides, it makes it all more interesting to see what I come up with."

"You seem to like writing stories with certain things readers aren't used to reading that could possibly go against the things they believe _should_ happen. Why is that?"

The writer gave a derisive snort. "If you mean that I don't always write exactly what people want, it's because I think readers _need_ to be shaken up a bit. They're so used to reading the same old thing that they won't really _remember_ what they've read for very long. I like to write things that stick out in their minds for a little bit longer. And if my critics give me scalding reviews for being different, so be it."

"Pretty bold."

"Not really." Irritated with a strand of hair constantly rubbing against her cheek, the writer also known as "Worthy" brushed it out of her face. "I've become popular enough that some people will read it mainly because my name's on it. I'm able to get away with it."

"Do you write anything original?"

"I write poetry. I think it's kind of mediocre, though some people think it's great. I'm also trying to write an original novel."

"Do you have anything special planned for in the near future?"

"Several, actually, but I'm keeping my cards as close to my chest as possible, though there _are_ a few people who know a few aces I have up my sleeve. Darn them."

Arnold checked his notebook and saw a question he hadn't asked yet. "When do you plan on stopping your writing?"

He almost thought he'd asked the wrong question by the look on her face. She didn't seem angry, just extremely thoughtful.

"I haven't thought of a definite date," she said slowly, "but I _do_ have an idea of when I'd stop. You see, after I've completed a story, I constantly think to myself, 'I can do _so_ much better next time!' But I keep having this dream where I've just completed the story and I know that this time I _can't_ do any better. It's so perfect in my eyes that I know I can _never_ write anything that would top it. Still, when I wake up, the plot and everything is gone. I can't remember it." She gave him a smile. "So now I keep writing to find that one story that will be the crowning achievement of my career so I can end my writing one day on a high note, leave my readers begging for more rather than begging for me to leave. One day I'll find that perfect plot and perfect mix of characters and everything, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. You're all stuck with me."

Arnold laughed a little at the wink she threw him. "Any advice you'd like to give other writers?"

"Yes. One, the only way to become a good writer is to do one thing: _write!_ Two, if a writer is one hundred percent satisfied with their work, it's time for them to quit. Three, keep up an attitude that you _can_ do better but don't take the attitude where you think you suck _all_ the time. In other words, be pleased with your work but recognize that there's always room for improvement." Cybra paused as the shorter blonde before scribbled away. "Four, even if nobody likes to read your stuff, put more out there! Get your foot in the door! And, five, don't box yourself in doing one thing all the time. Branch out! It gets rid of and even _prevents_ the dreaded Writer's Block!"

"Cybra!" a voice called as a woman with short black hair strolled out onto the balcony. "You two finished?"

"Just a sec, Vyse."

"'Kay."

Arnold had run out of questions and was quite unprepared for a question being thrown in his direction.

"Before you leave, Arnold," Cybra began, "do you have any future plans in the journalism industry?"

"Not really. I'm the editor of the school newspaper, but I'm thinking of handing it over to my best friend. He's capable of doing the job, and it'd free up my time for my 'other job'." Arnold made quotation marks with his fingers around the last two words.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you'd make one great reporter." Cybra gave him a smile. "It's been nice talking to you, Arnold."

"You, too, ma'am." Putting his notebook away, he pulled out another book entirely. "But, um, could you please…?"

"Why not?"

Cybra took Arnold's offered pen and book, opened the front cover, and hastily wrote something. Closing the book, she handed book and pen back to the blonde boy.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodbye, Arnold."

"Goodbye, Cybra."

Arnold left the two writers alone on the balcony, slipping back through the multitude like a fish swimming through crowded waters. He exited quickly, unwilling to spend more time than he had to here.

Arnold made a mental note to thank Mr. Simmons profusely for somehow obtaining that invitation to the conference. He opened the front cover of 101 Times Around the Block and Still Goin' Strong (a collection of the first one hundred and one short stories written by Cybra with Franchise Fiction Network) to read what Cybra had written.

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To Arnold –

May you go far in life doing what you love to do! I look forward to hearing your name in the future!

~Cybra

*As if you couldn't tell, "Franchise Fiction Network" is a different name for "Fanfiction.Net".


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